In the world of interior design, designers are not waiting to be commissioned by brands or abide by their briefings. They just bring their designs to the market, so brands are forced to step up. The Hortensia Armchair, by Andres Reisinger and Julia Esqué, innovatively replicates the beauty of nature. This blooming beauty is inspired by the basic human need for warmth and comfort. Moooi, a Dutch design brand mass produces the hortensia chair nowadays not only available in pink but in four other shades as well.
The Iconic Hortensia Chair by Andres Reisinger and Julia Esqué
From virtual plans and designs, all the way to creating a real-life, idiosyncratic Hortensia chair for Moooi, both designers are the masterminds behind this work of art who everyone up to this day, is praising and still showing loads of love for it. It was during the summer of 2018 when Andres first designed a digital asset of how the Hortensia chair would look in real life, but it wasn't until 2021 when it was exhibited and released to the entire public and Hortensia lovers to see. Moooi and artists Andres Reisinger and Julia Esqué decided to collaborate to mass-produce this Hortensia chair after months of dedicated work. The beautifully petaled chair went viral on Instagram as a rendering and became known as 'the chair that could not be made'. Brand Moooi believes that the creation of this chair was the start of a new dialogue between designers and brands. The molded armchair was specifically designed to evoke the feeling of sitting in a blooming pink flower and guess what? They completely nailed the concept.
Photo: @moooi
This project created a full opportunity for these talented designers to step up and bring their work out there. Because of it, brands were motivated to step up, giving more power to artists and designers, and the world will become a more beautiful place with art that includes flowers and a floral world in general.
Reisinger shares that when starting the process of designing the chair, he first prepared and posted a digital render of the Hortensia chair design to Instagram in July 2018. After becoming extremely viral in a matter of hours and days, Reisinger was surprised to know his virtual Hortensia chair formed part of the first NFT wave. Ultimately, Andres Reisinger searched for a collaborator to help turn his digital design into a physical object for six months before starting an incredible partnership and collab with a renowned Dutch furniture company along with Julia Esqué. Check out this video to understand how and why the iconic pink Hortensia chair was created.
Going Back to the First Design of the Hortensia Chair
The Hortensia Chair was initially designed in 2018 as a purely digital piece of furniture. The armchair, with its plump, hyper-tactile exterior has nowadays been made into a physical chair covered in 30,000 fabric petals. It is available from Moooi in the original soft pink color as well as four other colors: light grey, light beige, burgundy, and a turquoise, sage-green hue to use in endless indoor combinations depending on your home's color palette.
It has been sold out SO many times and the next reposition was just done this December 16th, 2023. This is the first time that a product designed for the digital world has gone into mass production so if you want yours, run and get it because they sell out rather quickly. Who wouldn't want to have a Hortensia chair in their home?
When Reisinger first shared the Hortensia chair on social media three years ago, the viral image prompted several order requests for a chair that did not exist. To meet this demand, he released a limited edition of the armchair in 2019 in collaboration with textile designer Julia Esqué.
After being told by different production teams and manufacturing partners that its unique texture can't be replicated in real life, Reisinger and Esqué realized the design by working closely with a small carpentry workshop in Barcelona and the results of what seemed impossible is what you see today as the most iconic floral chair in the world. From choosing the most spectacular shape, and the right armchairs to choosing the perfect flower fit for the chair, both of these amazing artists managed to do so and thrive in the process. If you're curious to also learn about the bridging of the virtual and physical world, make sure to read the article: 'Reisinger, Renowned for Bridging the Virtual and Physical Worlds, Presents The Smell of Pink' on Thursd.
The Inspiration Behind The Real-Life Hortensia Chair
Reisinger has always been a fan of being deeply connected to nature and believes nature is a true source of healing. His love for nature, along with his passion for 3D designs and creating stunning objects and furniture for interior design is what leaped to transform the virtual Hortensia chair into real life. Through this masterpiece, he aims to evoke a feeling of tranquility, yet creativity for anyone who buys the chair. Reisinger expresses this chair was made not only to make Hortensia available to everyone in the world but also to give Hortensia another life.
More About Andres Reisinger
Andrés Reisinger (b.1990) is one of the world’s most sought-after digital artists. Recent works such as Pollen, The Shipping, and Hortensia are as ambiguous as they are meticulously rendered and full of emotion. As his pieces that use the medium of NFT continue to fetch rarely seen-before figures and his exhibitions and collaborations proliferate, the cultural appetite for Reisinger’s invented worlds is only set to grow. See more of his work on Andres Reisinger's website.
If you're eager to make this statement piece part of your intimate spaces, buy yours directly on Moooi.
